Diagnosis of malaria

This week's blog will focus mostly on malaria disease progression and the methods used to diagnose  if one has malaria. Some of the risks that expose one to contract malaria are:

·         A person resides in an area where several cases of malaria have been reported in the past few days.

·         A person is exposed to mosquitoes.

In the earlier blogs I wrote how the malaria bacteria gets into human body when a mosquito infected with malaria bacteria bites a human. According to the (CDC 2015) the signs and symptoms of malaria do not show up immediately because there is always an incubation period which can be from 7- 30 days.

When the signs and symptoms starts showing which is the initial stage most people experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, nausea, sweat, malaise (weakness and discomfort), muscle aches and vomiting. If you are not well and have any of these symptoms, get tested for malaria without delay. If you experience flu-like symptoms that have not subsided in 2-3 days it is always suggested visiting a doctor as you could be at risk of suffering from malaria.

How to Diagnose:

http://www.zipheal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/diagnosis_of_malaria.jpg

The most common and the cheapest way to diagnose for malaria is by blood smear; the parasite is readily detected by blood smears and antigen tests. The test is done when a thick and thin smear is made from a drop of blood. The smear is stained and observed under a microscope for malaria parasite.

The presence of Plasmodium in blood confirms the diagnosis of malaria and also differentiates between the four common types of parasite – Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae. It is important to distinguish between these types since the treatment for each could vary. The test should be done when the patient is experiencing chills and fever and the reports of this test can be available on the same day of testing(Health site 2015)

The video below shows laboratory work during the testing of blood for malaria.

                                                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgDeKRC_1qk

CITATIONS:
Diagnosis of malaria -- everything you should know. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2015, from http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/diagnosis-of-malaria-everything-you-should-know/

Disease. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/disease.html